The Festive Watch List: UK edition
Other editions: The Summer Watch List: Australian editionThe Winter Season Watch List: UAE edition
@chloeandleox for Schwartz · @mimilabesa for Ted Baker · @demi.bars for Fitbit
Your guide to the festive season’s biggest moments, and where to focus your creator strategy.
01 / Find the reason to join in
The biggest cultural moments in the UK rarely stay contained to the event itself.
Football, festivals, festive season and major sporting moments create their own worlds of style, food, travel, socialising and conversation.
Brands don’t need to be part of the official event to participate in what it creates. There are countless ways to find a relevant role in the culture that forms around it.
Creators can bring those moments to life, connecting brands with the people already participating and giving audiences a reason to join in.
Use the calendar to look beyond the headline. See what each moment creates, where people are participating and where your brand can add something worth joining.
02 / Creator investment keeps climbing, and the festive season is already taking shape.
£1.2bn
UK creator partnership revenue forecast for 2026, the first year past £1bn.
2x
Creator revenue grew 20% in 2025, more than twice the rest of UK digital advertising.
80%+
of holiday revenue came from creator relationships that started before October.
50%+
above rate card is what creators quote for a single last-minute Q4 post.
The best creators don’t wait for your brief. Their calendars fill first, with the brands already in the room.
Sources: IAB UK × IRM, UK creator partnerships market sizing, Sep 2026 (2025 revenue £966m, +20.1%, vs +9.6% for other UK digital; 2026 forecast £1.217bn). Traackr State of the Holiday Season 2026 with ShopMy and Lumanu data.
03 / The attention economy
Attention follows culture. And creators are helping shape where it goes.
TV
3h 8m
a day on social video in the UK, now ahead of live TV and streaming combined (2h 56m).
Paid media
45%
of UK adults look elsewhere when an ad can’t be skipped. Bought reach, borrowed attention.
PR
50%
of UK adults actively avoid the news. Earned credibility, but a shrinking audience.
Creators
+70%
higher click-through for creator-led ads than non-creator ads, at the same cost per thousand.
The white space
The trust of PR, the reach of paid, the culture of TV. All in one creator post.
Sources: Attest, UK Media Consumption Report 2026 (n=1,000 UK adults). Reuters Institute, Digital News Report 2026. TikTok creator ad data, Feb 2024 to Jan 2025.
04 / The booking clock
Here’s what’s still open, and when each window closes.
| Moment | When | Brief Vamp by | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonfire Night | 5 Nov | 26 Oct | Fast track |
| Black Friday | 27 Nov | 30 Oct | Last call |
| Christmas | 25 Dec | 13 Nov | Closing |
| Boxing Day football | 26 Dec to 3 Jan | 13 Nov | Open |
| New Year reset | January | 20 Nov | Open |
| Six Nations | 5 Feb to 13 Mar | 15 Dec | Open |
Moving late?
We’re built for that too. Trend-led creator content, turned around fast and live while the moment is still happening.
05 / Black Friday to Christmas
Six weeks that make the retail year.
£6.4bn
forecast UK spend over Black Friday 2025
£262
average planned spend per Black Friday shopper, up 13%
~2.5x
more likely to be saved when an Instagram post features six to ten brands
Two ways in
Gift guides
Gift guides, top-ten lists and "what I’m buying" round-ups. Your product in the list shoppers save and come back to.
Lifestyle moments
Your product in the real moments of the season: the work do, hosting, Christmas morning, the Boxing Day haul.
What your budget gets you
£25K
Gift guide inclusion with 14 paid creators, plus seeding to 20 more.
£50K
19 creators across TikTok and Instagram, with paid amplification on top performers.
£75K+
Gift guides and lifestyle moments, always-on to Christmas Eve, with usage rights.
Brief Vamp by 30 Oct for Black Friday. 13 Nov for Christmas.
Sources: PwC UK Black Friday consumer survey, Nov 2025 (n=2,000). Traackr State of the Holiday Season 2026 (Instagram posts with six to ten brands in frame).
06 / Boxing Day football
26 Dec 2026 to 3 Jan 2027
The full Boxing Day programme is back. Nine days of football, sofas, pubs and the sales.
7
Premier League matches on Boxing Day 2026, up from one in 2025
30
Premier League matches in nine days, 26 December to 3 January
£3.6bn
spent in the UK Boxing Day sales in 2025
Two ways in
Matchday
Creators in the matchday culture. The shirt, the away day, the pub, the post-match pint. No sponsorship needed.
The sofa and the sales
The match and the sales share a day. Own the snacks, the second screen or the cart.
What your budget gets you
£25K
The watch-along box. 14 paid creators, seeding to 20 more, plus a paid test.
£50K
The box plus matchday content with 19 fan creators across the festive fixtures.
£75K+
A fan creator squad across all nine days, with usage rights.
Brief Vamp by 13 November. The fixtures are already set.
Sources: Premier League 2026/27 festive fixtures, announced Sep 2026, via Inside World Football. Barclays Consumer Spend, Boxing Day 2025.
07 / New Year reset
Before the gym, the dry month or the new routine, there’s the post that makes it feel possible.
17.5M
UK adults planned a month off alcohol for Dry January 2026
32%
named fitness and physical health as their top goal for the year
31%
want to strengthen their finances. The reset isn’t only about health.
Two ways in
Make the plan
Creators share the reset as it happens. The routine, the 31 days, the honest week-two check-in.
Make the swap
Your product as the better habit. Low and no, the trainers, the meal prep, the money app.
What your budget gets you
£25K
The reset kit. 14 paid creators, seeding to 20 more, plus a paid test.
£50K
19 creators across January, documenting the reset week by week.
£75K+
A creator-led 31-day challenge plus always-on through January, with usage rights.
Brief Vamp by 20 November. Resolutions start in December.
Sources: Alcohol Change UK via Censuswide, Nov 2025 (two samples of 2,000 UK adults).
08 / Six Nations
5 Feb to 13 March 2027
Six weekends where rugby takes over the pubs, the sofas and the Sunday roast.
5M
peak audience for England’s opening match in 2026, ITV’s biggest of the year so far
15
matches across six weeks, opening Friday night with Ireland v England
14 Feb
England v France at Twickenham, on Valentine’s Day
Two ways in
Matchday
Creators inside the matchday energy. Twickenham, Cardiff, Murrayfield, Dublin. The build-up, the outfits, the hospitality.
The watch party
No ticket needed. The pub, the sofa, the Sunday roast and the plans around every weekend.
What your budget gets you
£25K
The watch party. 14 paid creators, plus seeding to 20 more.
£50K
Watch party plus matchday access, with 19 creators.
£75K+
A hosted creator experience across the tournament, with usage rights.
Brief Vamp by 15 December. Before the holiday shutdown.
Sources: ITV Press Centre, Feb 2026 (England v Wales, ITV1 and ITVX). Six Nations 2027 fixtures, announced Mar 2026.
09 / Also worth watching
Smaller moments, niche communities and opportunities to show up where it counts.
Bonfire Night
5 Nov
Best for food, drinks, outdoor, family
The first signal of the season. Fireworks, food and getting people together.
Brief by 26 Oct
Christmas markets
Mid Nov to Dec
Best for food, drinks, travel, retail
Finding somewhere new, trying something different and making a day of it.
Brief by 6 Nov
New Year’s Eve
31 Dec
Best for fashion, beauty, drinks, travel
The build-up outperforms the countdown. The outfit, the plans, picking the spot.
Brief by 20 Nov
January sales
26 Dec to Jan
Best for fashion, beauty, retail, tech
The fresh start. Creators as the edit of what’s actually worth buying.
Brief by 20 Nov
Party season
Late Nov to Dec
Best for fashion, beauty, drinks, hospitality
The work do, the catch-ups, the outfit repeat. Getting ready is half the night.
Brief by 13 Nov
Your moment
Got a launch coming up, or a date that matters to your category? Let’s build a plan around it.
10 / Festive packages
Three ways in, for any moment on the list. Pick one and we’ll build it around your brand.
Starter
£25K
Get in the conversation around one moment.
- 14 creators paid, plus seeding to 20 more
- 14 pieces of content
- Paid amplification test
- End-of-campaign report
Signature
£50K
Own a corner of the moment, on and off platform.
- 19 creators across TikTok and Instagram
- 24 pieces of content, plus a creator event or experience
- Usage rights and paid amplification on top performers
- Mid-campaign and final reporting
Takeover
£75K+
Lead the moment from start to finish.
- Creator ambassador plus 22 supporting creators
- Always-on across the full moment
- Usage rights for owned and paid channels
- Full performance reporting
11 / Pick your moment, then make your move.
Book a 30-minute festive planning session before 13 November.
01
Tell us your moment and your number.
02
We bring a creator shortlist and a costed plan.
03
You lock creators in before the calendars close.